There Goes Gravity

A Life in Rock and Roll

By: Lisa Robinson

Narrated by: Lisa Robinson

Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

From a legendary music journalist with four decades of unprecedented access, an insider's behind-the-scenes look at the major personalities of rock and roll.

Lisa Robinson has interviewed the biggest names in music - including Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, John Lennon, Patti Smith, U2, Eminem, Lady Gaga, Jay Z and Kanye West. She visited the teenage Michael Jackson many times at his Encino home. She spent hours talking to John Lennon at his Dakota apartment - and in recording studios just weeks before his murder. She introduced David Bowie to Lou Reed at a private dinner in a Manhattan restaurant, helped the Clash and Elvis Costello get their record deals, was with the Rolling Stones on their jet during a frightening storm, and was mid-flight with Led Zeppelin when their tour manager pulled out a gun. A pioneering female journalist in an exclusive boys' club, Lisa Robinson is a preeminent authority on the personalities and influences that have shaped the music world; she has been recognized as rock jounralism's ultimate insider.

A keenly observed and lovingly recounted look back on years spent with countless musicians backstage, after hours and on the road, There Goes Gravity documents a lifetime of riveting stories, told together here for the first time.

©2014 Lisa Robinson (P)2014 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Robinson is often delightful company. She spins good yarns and drops nifty tidbits about a litany of the great and the weird.... There Goes Gravity aims to entertain, but it also illuminates." (NY Times Book Review)

"Ms. Robinson seemed to be everywhere in the rock world of the 1970s and '80s, often as the only woman in a roomful of boys." (NY Times)

"Lisa Robinson began reporting at a time when rock journalism 'was in its infancy and mostly populated by boys who had ambitions to become the next Norman Mailer.' Her memories of some of music's biggest legends, from Mick Jagger to Michael Jackson to Lady Gaga (whom she describes as 'a cute girl in her twenties who had really good manners'), animate this book." (NPR.org)

A fun rock and roll trip, shared by someone who helped write the history of the genre, literally.

The first half is great, funny, riveting, her read on the zeitgeist, spot on. The second half, more of a mixed bag. And she get’s Madonna completely wrong. I went from loving it to kind of just wishing it would end.

Fun with great insights

An interesting and fun recounting of several decades of rock journalists. She definitely spent a lot of time with music giants but she makes them all very human and intriguing through this book. A good ride.

Fun, but a bit too political for my taste

Wonderful insights about Lisa's days with classic bands like The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin. Unfortunately, halfway through the author/reader starts going on and on about George W Bush, whom she dislikes. It's dated and boring. Recommended for the first half only.

Must listen

If you care about rock AND roll, blues, or music at all, then you have to listen to this book. Lisa Robinson has been around many of the greatest musicians of the past century, and recounts her experiences with great detail. Her witty humor kept me laughing throughout. I loved every minute of it. Thank you, Lisa.

Face it she's completely brilliant.

She's in it for the art and underlying muse of political current. I mean she's dead on right when you're talking about growing up and being aware of the pure esoteric effulgence of New York City. She slogged it out all the way for that lovely kind of powdered luscious syrup that's not money. Given she could have ended fewer of her sentences with her "that was sure annoying" kind of vocal melody, but face it she's the end all be all observer of rock and roll as art.

NAME CHECKING AND OTHER PRATTLE

Would you try another book from Lisa Robinson and/or Lisa Robinson?

DOUBT IT

What could Lisa Robinson have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

FOCUS, FOCUS,FOCUS

How did the narrator detract from the book?

NO INFLECTION. SAVE THE "INSIDE JOKES" FOR THE INSIDERS

Was There Goes Gravity worth the listening time?

1-10.............4

Any additional comments?

YEAH. WHO IS THIS GAL,I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF HER. THE TERM GROUPIE COMES TO MIND.

Like catching up with a good friend.

this was a delightful, candid, funny visit with someone who could be your best friend who just happened to have spent time with some of the biggest rock and roll stars of the last 50 years. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Lisa tell her tales and stories. I love the same music she does and it was great to hear about it all from her side of the wall.

Pass on this book.

What disappointed you about There Goes Gravity?

I dislike the author and her views so much that I could barely make it through the book. If you can get past her longtime smoker's voice, then you have to suffer through her NYC elitist views on the rest of the nation. Everyone outside of New York is ignorant and especially in the case of southern folks, of whom she displays her prejudice by calling everyone from the south a bunch of ignorant, racist toothless hicks. I have seen this behavior so many times from so called enlightened people who show their prejudice views of others that she does not have knowledge of herself. This is the very same behavior she accuses them of having towards civil rights, gay rights, etc. She should get out of NYC and find out that there are good people and not so good people everywhere.

She comes off as and aging groupie to whom she is still enamored with the music world but, only she and the artist's "get it". I learned nothing new about any of the artists she wrote about. In fact, her favorite line is "nobody remembers the incident quite the same way". She says this so many times, it is laughable. I guess she risks damaging her status with them if she would actually tell the truth rather than put this disclaimer on it.

What was most disappointing about Lisa Robinson’s story?

I was also so very tired of her Bush bashing. I thought I was purchasing a book about music and what I got was way too much of her political views, her narrow mindedness and irrational explanations as to why we should overlook the bad behavior of some of the muscians. Most blatant was her reasoning as to why it was ok for Kanye to rush the stage during Taylor Swift's award. It was acceptable and even admirable as long as he felt someone else deserved the award and who cares how it affected the person receiving the award.

Would you be willing to try another one of Lisa Robinson’s performances?

I will never purchase any other book by this "author".

Egotistical

This author is so full of herself its absurd. It you want to know all about how great she thinks she is listen on. If you want to know about the musicians she was around find another book.